Seven new Directors joined the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) Board on October 9, bringing extensive experience and knowledge from landscape architecture practice. MNLA's Jacob Kuhn, a 2018 LAF Olmsted Scholar, was selected for the open Director position for Olmsted Scholars, one of two dedicated two-year slots.

The LAF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1966 with the mission to preserve, improve, and enhance the environment. LAF invests in research, scholarships, and leadership initiatives to increase the influence and impact of landscape architects to create a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable world.

Come and see us! Join MNLA along with our team of collaborators, NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice at the FiDi & Seaport Climate Resilience Plan exhibit as part of Climate Week NYC from September 15-28.

MNLA has continued to expand our coastal resilience portfolio as an integral collaborator in the FiDi & Seaport Climate Resiliency Plan—serving in both capacities as designers on the public open space assets, as well as a leader on the robust public engagement and outreach efforts that has set this project apart.

This free and public exhibit is an opportunity to learn about how the FiDi & Seaport area will be impacted by flooding and the City’s solution to protect the neighborhood, build new public open spaces, and preserve what New Yorkers love most about the waterfront. The exhibit features both self-guided content and an opportunity to talk with members of the project team. Whether you live, work, commute, or play in Lower Manhattan, you will learn how this project protects YOU.

For more information, please visit FiDi & Seaport Climate Resilience Plan: Pop-Up Exhibit | Climate Week

Just in time for summer, New York City has opened large new sections of the new East River Park.

Local officials and the design team which includes MNLA, AKRF, One Architecture, BIG, Arcadis, and Jacobs marked the opening of large sections of the new East River Park, which is being rebuilt at an 8- to 10-foot-higher elevation as part of the flood protection provided by East Side Coastal Resiliency. The areas opened to the public on Memorial Day.

This quarter-mile stretch of park brings a variety of new amenities to the community, including basketball and tennis courts, picnic and BBQ areas, a multi-use turf field, open lawn space, and inviting zones for nature exploration and water play. As an addition to the already completed Stuyvesant Cove Park, it now forms part of a broader one-mile span of realized Manhattan coastal resiliency.

MNLA is excited to announce 2025 promotions. From emerging designers to a seasoned professional, these individuals consistently elevate both our firm and the profession of landscape architecture through their consistent leadership and contribution of new ideas. We wish them continued professional growth and success as valued members of the MNLA team.

• Yelena Zolotorevskaya, RLA – Associate
• Wanyi Li – Senior Landscape Designer
• Jeb Polstein, WEDG – Senior Landscape Designer
• Julia Szeto – Senior Landscape Designer

On September 30th, Yale University celebrated the groundbreaking of its new Physical Sciences and Engineering Building (PSEB), the centerpiece of the Upper Science Hill Development (USHD), which spans 16 acres and 611,000 square feet.

The complex will serve as a hub for quantum science, engineering, and materials initiatives. It embraces the topography of New Haven’s urban and landscape context, and integrates the campus with the surrounding neighborhood. The USHD is one of Yale’s largest and most complex buildings to date, and it embodies the client and the design team's commitment to excellence, sustainability, and community-oriented design.

This groundbreaking commences Phase 1 of 2, with construction completion projected for 2030.

Read more here.

As part of New York Climate Week, MNLA Principal Molly Bourne will be taking part in a panel discussion on September 24 to discuss coastal resilience initiatives that preserve access to the waterfront while integrating public space. Join us! Please click through for registration info.